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Featured Artist – Ron Weed – akaWeed Studios – Studio 205

We have so many different types of Artists at Western Avenue! Check out Airbrush Artist & Pinstriper Ron Weed!! You can visit him in Studio 205!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. Where are you from? Where did you study? How long have you been an artist?

A: My Name is Ron … I started being creative and drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon… I was born here in Lowell and spent most of my life here. Going to Old Orchard Beach, Maine every summer is where I was first exposed to airbrush at 7 or 8 years old. I grew up watching painting shows on television and learning to oil paint from that. I sold paintings as a kid, but when I finally got to high school that’s when I really got interested in airbrush and illustration. I took commercial art, though I taught myself just about everything by reading as many books on subjects as I could. My first job was at a sign shop in Tewksbury where I worked for a couple of months, but I was not quick or experienced enough at the time so I was let go; that’s when my dad had an apartment over his shop for rent. So he asked his landlord if I could rent it. It changed the course of my life. I started in my own business, making signs and airbrushing different projects. Everything was hand painted back then. I’ve been doing my own thing ever since.Learning, making mistakes and growing in my field. I stumbled on a western ave artist named Bill Bradbury. He told me about western ave. I never knew this place existed. I literally worked across the street for several years not knowing about the great community of artist that reside in the big building across the parking lot. From the day I was toured through the building I knew I wanted to be a part of the artist community. And here I am two years later… if it weren’t for the chance meeting Bill I may have never know about western ave artists. Now I’m enjoying being a part of this great community of people who just happen to be artists. It’s great.

Q: What is the first thing you remember making/creating by hand?

A: I used to draw cartoon characters I had watched on tv. My parents thought I had traced them…lol.. later was oil painting like I would watch on television. . Those were my first experiences in making stuff by hand… boy did it segway into something different.

Q: What do you love most about your art?

A: I like making something that people like and enjoy looking at and making things that are meaningful to my customers. The technical and creative side of being a good draftsman. Doing something well. To satisfy my own need to learn and create. Now that I’m exposed to all this great art at Western Ave I am going to experiment with new stuff. I love learning about art… I feel like a kid again… this place has put the fun back into art and learning for me.

Q: What is your biggest obstacle with your art?
Being in a business of commercialized artwork, it makes it more like a job sometimes… deadlines are my biggest obstacles. It sometimes doesn’t lend to creating the best piece possible which is why I’m going to start making artwork for just me, like I used to when I was a kid, before I started my own business. I found that I would never do anything unless I got paid to do it.. sounds like some artists dreams , but it can take the fun out of it sometimes.

Q: Describe a typical art creativity session. What is it like? For example, do you work in silence, or do you work to music? Do you prefer to be alone, or do you need people around?

A: I like it all. I now love the fact that there are other artists around me all the time. I used to be alone on all of my jobs the majority of the time and loved when I was asked to do work with other people in my industry. The only time I would socialize is when I was out selling my artistic services. Now I prefer having people around who are artists; it makes things more fun in my opinion. And other times I just need to shut the door and work..

Q: Did you always know you wanted to make the art you make today? Did you start out in a different medium in the early days?

A: I wanted to be a painter, then as I got more exposed to airbrushing kind of went in that direction. Once I started lettering I knew I would like to do that also. I actually hated lettering at first. It wasn’t airbrushing so I wanted no part of it, but the first time I was told I needed to make a sign with a brush for the lettering instead of a marker I was hooked. I also always wanted to paint on race cars because I was exposed to this stuff from an early age. All the cool race cars at the drag strip when I went with my uncle, I knew I wanted to do something with cars and that’s what married my two interests together. .

Q: Tell us about some of your goals for the next 6-12 months.

My new goal is to make my own art, just for me, and expand my current business in different directions. . Opening up new places to sell what I currently do, travel and do my work not letting my past inhibitions prevent me like they have previously. Experience new art forms and see where it takes me. I feel like a person who just got into college for the first time. While I’m here I am leaning new things about art that I was never exposed to or even knew existed. It’s awesome.. plain and simple.

*You can meet Ron in his Studio 205 on First Saturday Open Studios. Stop by and say Hello!!

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Western Avenue Studios and Western Avenue Lofts form the largest artist community of our kind on the East Coast, if not the country. Starting with 31 studios and 45 artists on one floor of one building in 2005 we have grown to 245 studios offering work space to more than 280 artists and 50 live/work lofts offering 70 artists the opportunity to live and work in a nurturing and supportive environment.